No-print key control

ABSTRACT

A control device contained in a typewriter of the type including a keyboard, a memory device, a power driven printer, which is controlled by the keyboard and the memory device, the printer having a single type carrier having a plurality of characters, a setting device having a plurality of electromagnets for selecting the characters to be printed, and a printing device having an electromagnet for causing the selected characters to be printed, the control device serving to suppress the type imprint. The control device includes a no-print key for producing a control signal when a non-printing function is to be performed. A first electrical switch is coupled to the output of the no-print key for preventing the printing device. A second electrical switch is also coupled to the output of the no-print key for preventing the operation of the setting device.

United States Patent Theilen 1 Mar. 18, 1975 1 1 NO-PRINT KEY CONTROL [75] Inventor: Rolf Theilen, Sande i.O., Germany [73] Assignee: Olympia Werke AG,

Wilhelmshaven, Germany 22 Filed: Sept. 1, 1973 21 Appl.No.:395,259

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 13. 1972 Germany 2250269 52] US. Cl. 197/16, 197/19 Int. Cl B4lj 23/02 [58] Field of Search 197/16. 19, 20, 49. 55, 197/18 {56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3382.963 5/1968 Cralle et a1. i. 197/16 3.45l.52() 6/1969 Greer et a1 i i. 197/16 X 3.45.1851 7/1969 Holmes i 197/19 3,612,239 10/1971 Schacfer l i l i i 197/16 3.618736 11/1971 Abel] ct a1. 197/16 X 3,721.327 3/1973 Wcrf et a1 i. 197/16 X 1788x143 1/1974 Menzi 197/16 Primary E.\'aminerEdgar Si Burr Assistant Examiner-R. T. Rader Attorney. Agent, or Firm-Spencer & Kaye {57} ABSTRACT A control device contained in a typewriter of the type including a keyboard, a memory device a power driven printer, which is controlled by the keyboard and the memory device, the printer having a single type carrier having a plurality of characters, a setting device having a plurality of electromagnets for selecting the characters to be printed, and a printing device having an electromagnet for causing the selected characters to be printed, the control device serving to suppress the type imprint. The control device includes a no-print key for producing a control signal when a non-printing function is to be performed. A first electrical switch is coupled to the output of the no-print key for preventing the printing device. A second electrical switch is also coupled to the output of the noprint key for preventing the operation of the setting device.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures NO-PRINT KEY CONTROL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a control device for suppressing the type imprint in a power driven printer which is controlled by both a keyboard and a memory.

Such a control device is particularly advantageous in a typewriter which utilizes a single type carrier, e.g., a type ball, which is moved with respect to the record carrier, e.g., paper sheet, in order to effect an imprint and which has a plurality of electromagnets for controlling the selected characters, the printing movement and the no-print functions, such as spacing, back spacing, etc., in accordance with the incoming control signals.

It is known to provide control devices in typewriters by which a special setting interrupts the printing of the fed-in characters and only those switching steps are actuated which are associated with the punched-in characters. Such control devices serve to determine the length of a line in a draft with normal word spacing. To produce the final copy with lines of uniform length, the text is again fed into the printer in a second operating step and the characters are printed. By appropriately correcting the word spacing it is possible to obtain a uniform line length, i.e., a uniform right-hand margin.

Such a system is shown, for example, in Application Ser. No. 580,275, filed Sept. l9, I966, which was issued Oct. 8, I968 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,765.

An arrangement is known with which the abovementioned printing procedure can be realized and which utilizes a single type carrier which is moved with respect to the record carrier when an imprint is desired. In the operation of such a type carrier when a no-print setting is utilized. the type carrier does not receive contact energy. The drawback with such an arrangement, however, is that the type carrier during the noprint operation must still perform all of the setting movements including switching to prepare for printing the punched-in character. The only step of the operation which is eliminated is the actual printing movement which is accomplished by shifting the cam plate to a no-print cam ring section by means of the no-print key.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a typewriter of the above-mentioned type which prevents operation of both the setting movements and the printing movements when the noprint key is set to the no-print position.

This is accomplished according to the present invention in that the circuit arrangement includes two electrical switches which can be controlled by a separate no-print key or a no-print function key, such as space key, back space key, etc.. so that the printing and setting movements of the type carrier are not performed. The first electrical switch is disposed in the current supply path of an electromagnet which controls the printing movement and the second electrical switch is disposed in the current supply path of a plurality of electromagnets which control the setting movement of the type carrier. Such an arrangement makes it possible to prevent the printing movement when the type carrier performs a setting by 180. i.e., a shifting movement. A further advantage of such an arrangement is that it reduces to a minimum the number of times the electromagnets must be switched. The electromagnet for the printing movement is excited only when no printing is to take place, i. e., upon actuation of this electromagnet, the printer is disengaged. The electromagnets for the setting movement of the type carrier. however. are only excited when necessary to set the type carrier. The

parts subject to wear, therefore, are actuated as little as possible, thereby advantageously effecting the life of the entire machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partly schematic elevational detail view of the key mechanism of a typewriter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic linkage diagram of an electromagnetically controlled setting mechanism for the type carrier of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram for the electro magnets of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the key mechanism of FIG. 1, including the control rod.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the control rod of FIG. 4 in the direction of arrow V.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. I, in order to select a character, a key lever 1, upon being actuated, releases an intermediate lever 5 via an actuating lever 3, this intermediate lever 5 being held in its starting position against an abutment 11 by a tongue 7 under the force of a spring 9. The intermediate levers 5 are provided with coded sections 13 which, when the intermediate levers 5 are moved in the longitudinal direction, pivot coding rockers 15. These coding rockers l5 actuate contacts I70. 17b, 17c, and I7d so that control pulses are sent via wires I) to the setting and printing mechanism of a spherical type carrier 23 mounted on a carriage 21 which is moved along the typewriter platen.

A portion of the linkage arrangement of the setting and printing mechanism is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown by this arrangement, the setting of type carrrier 23 to a selected character for printing is controlled by selector electromagnets 25, 26, and 27, the shifting movement of the carrier 23 is controlled by a selector magnet 28 and the printing movement of the carrier 23 is controlled by selector electromagnet 29. The selector electromagnets 25, 26, 27 and 28 bring control members 30, 31, 32, and 33, respectively, into the operating range of a first drive device 34 which is driven by an eccentric drive 35. A drive control 36 serves to couple the eccentric drive 35 with a drive shaft 37 which is in continuous engagement via a pair of bevel gears 38 and 39 with a rotating main shaft 40. The control members 30, 31,32, and 33 couple the eccentric drives 41, 42, 43, and 44, respectively, with a shaft 47 which is also driven by the main shaft 40 via a pair of bevel gears 45, 46. The eccentric drives 41, 42, 43 set the type carrier 23 via a differential lever gear 48. The shifting of the type carrier 23 (for upper case letters, for example) is effected via eccentric drive 44.

The control linkage member 49 in its normal position is coupled to drive device 34 and couples an eccentric drive 50 to drive shaft 47. The type carriage S2 is moved back and forth, via a system of levers SI, for the purpose of printing the selected characters. The selector electromagnet 29, when actuated, causes the control linkage member 49 to be disengaged so as to prevent the carrier from being shifted into the printing position. Such a setting and printing mechanism is shown for example, in German Pat. Appl. No. 2,034,231, published Jan. l3, 1972. A similar setting and printing mechanism for a single spherical ball type carrier for a power driven typewriter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,33l issued Dec. 7, 197i.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram for the selector electromagnets 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, which can be controlled via switches ]7a through e, respectively according to the invention. In the current path 54 to the selector electromagnets 170 through 17d, an additional switch 53 is disposed with the switch 53 being normally in a closed position. Switch 53 is actuated, or opened, when a control rod 55 as best shown in FIG. 4 is axially displaced from a normal first position into a second position.

The control rod 55 is arranged so as to be axially movable between a first and second position. A noprint key lever 56, which is disposed in the area of the keyboard and is pivotal about a bolt 57, is connected with an angular lever 59 via a tension member 58. Upon actuation of the no-print key lever 56, the control rod 55 is moved into its second position against the force of a spring 60. in the normal position the no-print key lever 56 rests against an abutment 62. When the lever 56 is displaced into its no-print position, it is locked in place via its bolt 63 by an arresting spring 64. The shifted second position of the control rod 55 is shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 5. The control rod 55 also cooperates with the switch l7e via an arm 65, in such a manner that when control rod 55 is pivoted, arm 65 causes switch l7e to close thereby exciting electromagnet 2.9, via wire 19'.

The control rod or bail 55, as shown in FIGS. 4 and is disposed in the path of movement of each of the intermediate levers 5 of the character keys and the intermediate levers 67 and 68 of the no-print function keys such as spacing, back specing etc. Formed in the control rod 55 are a plurality of recesses 66 which are aligned with each of the intermediate levers 5 when the control rod 55 is in its first or normal position. When the control rod 55 is axially moved into its second position, however. each of the intermediate levers 5 is aligned with one ofthe protrusions 71. The control rod 55 is additionally provided with protrusions 69 and 70 which are always aligned with the intermediate levers 67 and 68 respectively of the no-print function keys.

The operation of the control device of the present invention will be described below.

During normal typing the control rod 55 is disposed in its first position and thus the released intermediate levers 5 move through the aligned recesses 66 in control rod 55', thus. the control rod 55 is not pivoted and the selector electromagnet 29 is not excited. During each operating pulse of the first driving device 34, the eccentric drive 50 is coupled with drive shaft 47 since the linkage member 49 is continuously disposed in the effective range of the first driving device 34. Thus, it is not necessary to actuate switch 172 every time so as to excite the selector electromagnet 29 for each printing operation so that these parts are not subject to wear. With the control rod 55 in this first position, only when the intermediate levers 67, 68 of the ancillary or noprint functions, such as shifting. spacing, back spacing, etc., are actuated is the control rod 55 pivoted since in the area of these intermediate levers 67, 68 the rod is not provided with recesses but rather withh protrusions 69, 70. When the control rod 55 is pivoted, switch He is closed via arm 64 and the selector electromagnet 29 5 is excited and pulls linkage member 49 out of the effec tive range of the first driving device 34. Consequently, when control rod 55 is pivoted, the eccentric drive 50 is uncoupled from the shaft 47 and the printing move ment is not performed, which movement is not desired for the above-mentioned ancillary functions.

Now if the selected characters are to be temporarily not printed, such as in the abovementioned operation for closing the right-hand margin, the no-print key lever 56 is pivoted into the locked position 63/64. This also pivots pivot lever 59 via tension member 58 and the control rod 55 is axially moved into its second position against the force of spring 60 via arm 61 of pivot lever 59. Upon being so displaced, control rod 55 pushes against one of the contact arms of switch 53 thereby causing it to open. Upon opening of switch 53, the current path 54 to switches 17a through d and the corresponding selector electromagnets 28 and 25-27 respectively is interrupted. A setting or shifting movement of the type carrier 23 is thus no longer possible since in this position of the control rod 55 all intermediate levers S, 67, 68 abut against protrusions 71, 69, 70 off control rod 55. Control rod 55 is pivoted for all functions fo that contact l7e is closed via arm 65 and selector electromagnet 29 is excited. Consequently, in the no-print position of the no-print key lever, the setting movement as well as the printing movement of the type carrier 23 are prevented. The eccentric drives 41, 42, 43, 44, and 50 of the differential lever system 48 are thus not subjected to wear. Since the control rod 55 for suppressing the printing movement is present anyhow during the performance of the ancillary functions such as shifting, spacing, back spacing, etc., the present invention makes it possible to additionally suppress the setting movement of the type carrier 23 in the no-print position with extremely little effort and substantial utilization of available machine parts and drive elements. Rod 81 is articulately connected to the free end of the pivoted armature 85 of the solenoid 87. As will be evident the printing stroke of the type bar may be initiated by either manually operating the key lever 1 or by energizing the solenoid 87. The key lever l and the rod 81 releases the intermediate lever 5 via an actuating lever 3. The solenoid 87 is connected via line 89 with the selecting mechanism 90.

The construction of the above described apparatus is known by the U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,136.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a typewriter having a keyboard with a plurality of key means corresponding to the characters to be printed and a plurality of key means corresponding to no-print functions such as spacing and back spacing, and a power driven printer which is controlled by the key means, the printer including a single type carrier with a plurality of characters which is moved with respect to a record carrier for printing, a character setting means, including a plurality of electromagnets which are selectively actuated in response to a selected character key means, for positioning the single type carrier to the character to be printed, and a printing means, including an electromagnet, which is responsive to the selected key means for causing the printing movement of said single type carrier to print the selected character, the improvement comprising a special no-print key means on said keyboard; and control means, including a plurality of electrical switches connected in the current paths of said electromagnets and responsive to the selection of said special no-print key means, for interrupting the flow ofcurrent to said electromagnets for preventing the operation of said setting means and of said printing means, said control means being responsive to the selection of one of said no-print function key means for interrupting the flow of current to said electromagnet of said printing means for preventing the operation of said printing means.

2. A typewriter as defined in claim 1 wherein said control means includes a first electrical switching means connected in the current path of said electromagnet of said printing means and a second electrical switching means connected in the current path of said plurality of electromagncts of said setting means.

3. A typewriter as defined in claim 2 further comprising: a plurality of switches, each associated with a respective one of said electromagnets of said setting means; a plurality of coding rockers, each pivotally arranged so as to actuate a respective one of said switches upon being pivoted; a plurality of intermediate levers, each actuated by one of said character and no-print function key means, for pivoting selected ones of said coding rockers so to cause actuation of said switches; a control rod arranged near one end of said intermediate levers, said control rod being mounted so as to be axially movable between a first and second position, and being associated with said second electrical switching means so as to actuate said second electrical switching means upon being moved into its said second position, said control rod having a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of recesses, said recesses being aligned with only said intermediate levers associated with said character key means when said control rod is in its said first position and said protrusions being aligned with all of said intermediate levers when said control rod is in said second position, whereby said control rod is pivoted when one of said intermediate levers engages a respective one of said protrusions; said control rod being arranged so as to actuate said first electrical switching means upon being pivoted by one of said levers; and said no-print key means being actuably arranged for moving said control rod into its said second position.

4. A typewriter as defined in claim 3 further comprising locking means disposed for locking said no-print key means in its actuated position. 

1. In a typewriter having a keyboard with a plurality of key means corresponding to the characters to be printed and a plurality of key means corresponding to no-print functions such as spacing and back spacing, and a power driven printer which is controlled by the key means, the printer including a single type carrier with a plurality of characters which is moved with respect to a record carrier for printing, a character setting means, including a plurality of electromagnets which are selectively actuated in response to a selected character key means, for positioning the single type carrier to the character to be printed, and a printing means, including an electromagnet, which is responsive to the selected key means for causing the printing movement of said single type carrier to print the selected character, the improvement comprising a special no-print key means on said keyboard; and control means, including a plurality of electrical switches connected in the current paths of said electromagnets and responsive to the selection of said special no-print key means, for interrupting the flow of current to said electromagnets for prEventing the operation of said setting means and of said printing means, said control means being responsive to the selection of one of said no-print function key means for interrupting the flow of current to said electromagnet of said printing means for preventing the operation of said printing means.
 2. A typewriter as defined in claim 1 wherein said control means includes a first electrical switching means connected in the current path of said electromagnet of said printing means and a second electrical switching means connected in the current path of said plurality of electromagnets of said setting means.
 3. A typewriter as defined in claim 2 further comprising: a plurality of switches, each associated with a respective one of said electromagnets of said setting means; a plurality of coding rockers, each pivotally arranged so as to actuate a respective one of said switches upon being pivoted; a plurality of intermediate levers, each actuated by one of said character and no-print function key means, for pivoting selected ones of said coding rockers so as to cause actuation of said switches; a control rod arranged near one end of said intermediate levers, said control rod being mounted so as to be axially movable between a first and second position, and being associated with said second electrical switching means so as to actuate said second electrical switching means upon being moved into its said second position, said control rod having a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of recesses, said recesses being aligned with only said intermediate levers associated with said character key means when said control rod is in its said first position and said protrusions being aligned with all of said intermediate levers when said control rod is in said second position, whereby said control rod is pivoted when one of said intermediate levers engages a respective one of said protrusions; said control rod being arranged so as to actuate said first electrical switching means upon being pivoted by one of said levers; and said no-print key means being actuably arranged for moving said control rod into its said second position.
 4. A typewriter as defined in claim 3 further comprising locking means disposed for locking said no-print key means in its actuated position. 